


It's Not Jealousy (not really)

by AngeNoir



Series: Inktober 2017 [9]
Category: Avengers Academy (Video Game)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Steampunk, Love Confessions, M/M, Pre-Relationship, Pre-Slash
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-10-10
Updated: 2017-10-10
Packaged: 2019-01-15 14:27:22
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,235
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12322809
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AngeNoir/pseuds/AngeNoir
Summary: It's hard to keep things to himself. It's even harder to keep to himself, though Steve tries.Sam spending more time with Tony, though, might just be the impetus needed to make a change.Inktober Drabble 10 = Universe: Avengers Academy / List: Steampunk / Prompt: "Wings"





	It's Not Jealousy (not really)

**Author's Note:**

> Written for inktober, based on the prompt "Wings" from a Steampunk list. (You can see [and prompt me!] my initial post about my inktober writings [here](http://outercorner.tumblr.com/post/165938959460/so-i-am-gonna-be-trying-this-inktober-thing-but).)

Steve didn’t like to be too nosy. He was a man out of time, and had been told quite strictly by Director Fury that the less he told others about where he had come from ( _when_  he had come from), the better. Particularly the son of Howard Stark, Tony.

So he had tried to keep to himself - in as much as he could, when he was perpetually bent on making the world a better place and picking fights. Bucky would have just called it obstinacy, but Steve liked to think that he was simply extremely moral and loved to make sure that everyone was being treated fairly.

...He missed Bucky.

There were so many neat advances nowadays; steam and cog machines that could automatically make coffee, that could create light and electricity. The most interesting marvel was some type of mechanical android created by Tony Stark, something called Jarvis that kept extensive records and could connect to telegraph lines, send messages with a simple command. All of the campus was stunning, and Steve loved all of it.

The future was amazing, no one was more amazing than Tony Stark, and he hoped, sincerely and desperately, that his crush was not too obvious. Still, he didn’t like to admit it, but he was... nosy. Particularly when it came to Tony.

He noticed that Sam was spending a lot of time with Tony - he’d been in the hot tub Tony had installed twice this week, once just with Tony, once with Loki and Tony - and he’d been working with Tony’s machines and robotic people as well. Sam had stuck nearby Tony for an extended period of time, and Steve was... not suspicious, not jealous, of course not, but...

The next time he’d managed to pin Sam at the billiards table, he tried to ease into it as he hefted the pool cue casually. “You’ve been spending a lot of time in Tony’s tower recently. Working on the mechanical creations of Tony’s?”

Sam clearly wasn’t buying it, if his arched eyebrow was anything to go by. He had rolled up his shirtsleeves and taken off his jacket, revealing his pin-striped vest smartly buttoned up, and Steve could admit that Sam was very dashing, his golden timepiece clicking and whirring on his wrist, his shoes nicely shined, his slacks neat and tidy, his kerchief folded in amazingly sharp lines. If Steve was more inclined to powerful and handsome men, well...

“You don’t need to contrive a reason to visit Tony, you know,” Sam said in that calm, easy drawl he had. “You would be more than welcome to intrude. Peruse his workshop, his creations, yourself. He wouldn’t mind.”

Steve licked his lips and watched as Sam lined up a clean and easy shot, sinking two balls. “I don’t like to... intrude. Especially - well, Tony doesn’t quite, does not actually have much tolerance for me.”

“Oh, I think you may not have the full set of data to draw that conclusion,” Sam murmured, watching as Steve moved around the table. “Certainly he has never expressed any distaste to me.”

“And you are intimate with him, to know his intentions towards me?” Steve asked, sounding more envious than he had intended to and wincing because of it.

Sam let out a long sigh. “I have not the energy to listen to Tony’s complaints as well as yours, Steve. You really must attempt to discuss this with him personally. Only through communication can you actually resolve anything with your beloved.”

“That’s a strong word,” Steve grumbled under his breath, leaning forward onto the table to eye the angles he would need.

“Aye, it may be, but then again, I presume that you have strong feelings,” Sam said, clapping a hand on Steve’s back.

It took Steve two more days to work up his courage to actually seek Tony out. Well, ‘seek Tony out’ was a bit of a misnomer; he actually did not have to narrow down where Tony was. Tony had not once left his tower for almost two weeks; only Jarvis, Sam, and Rhodes had any type of regular interaction with the genius inventor. So perhaps the more appropriate term was ‘storm the castle.’ 

Or, not exactly. But still.

He cautiously entered the entry of the tower, only to meet the small, almost unobtrusive speaker set into the wall. Hesitantly, he pressed the button and watched a small red light flicker to life.

“Hello?” he said into the mesh rectangle.

“Steve?” Tony’s voice emanated from somewhere, tinny and slightly distorted. “That’s odd. I’m in the workshop; please, Jarvis will light up the way.”

“Light the...” Steve began, but the light flickered off, and when he turned, he noticed that there were small, inset lights long the ground, stretching around the corner.

He followed the pathway into the corridors of the tower, ascending a small flight of stairs, and turning to a heavy iron door. A bit nervous, he hefted the door open and stepped into a stunning display of mechanical ingenuity.

“Tony?” Steve called out.

“Here!” Tony called out, head popping up, hair soft and fuzzy-looking - the slick smoothness of his hair gel lost - grease adorning his nose, arms, and even his hair in some places; his loose shirt was filthy, and torn in some places. His eyes were feverishly bright, and particularly fixated.

“You haven’t been seen for a while,” Steve began, but Tony stepped out and now, clear of the worktable and the various mechanics and mechanisms, Steve could see mechanical wings strapped to Tony’s back.

Now, Steve had seen Sam gliding through the air; his contraption was an extremely clever amalgamation of gliding and controlled descent, giving him the appearance of a flying man. These wings, however, were vastly different; the wing parts were distinct, articulated, and even moved independently. They were attached to a power source, and the harness around Tony’s chest and upper legs looked exceedingly complex.

“What do you think?” Tony asked, turning around carefully, the wings flexing and moving with the tensing of Tony’s back muscles.

Steve, who had been more focused on the smooth slide of Tony’s muscles, refocused his attention. “Brilliant, Tony. Truly superb. Are these to aid your Iron Armor?”

“Mmm, maybe, but I felt like Sam could use a better formed machine. This will certainly help him during our regular skirmishes.” Tony paused, and seemed to eye Steve closely. “You could also use a pair, now that I take the time to consider the option.”

“No, thank you, Tony. I would prefer to keep my feet firmly on the ground,” Steve said quickly, interjecting to keep Tony from going off on a tangential topic. Bringing Tony’s attention back, he repeated, “You have not been seen outside your workshop for quite some time. Surely you could take a break from your involved work, eat something from the hall, engage in some regular activity at the gym, perhaps?”

“Aw, did you miss me?” Tony said distractedly, looking down at the straps as he carefully began undoing them. “Besides, one would think that most people would do well without my presence.”

“I wouldn’t,” Steve blurted out, too nervous to realize what he had intended to say before he had said it.

Tony’s head jerked up to pin his gaze on Steve’s blush. “I beg your pardon?” he asked, voice barley more than a whisper.

Steve marshaled his courage, and opened his mouth.


End file.
